I've got a surfeit of mustard seeds from volunteer mustard plants that grew in the spring. Mustard seeds volunteer easily. The germination rate seems high.
I'm trying to research whether mustard will make a good fall cover crop. A few sources have said mustard plants incorporated into the soil will act as a natural insecticide and add organic matter. The idea would be to plant the mustard seeds, let the plants flower and then, before they go to seed, mix them in. This would be in the fall. By spring, the hope is that the leaves will get fully composted.
Why do people use cover crops? To suppress weeds, to loosen soil (with the roots), to add organic matter to the soil, to add nutrients...
I've never planted a cover crop, I'm still gathering information.
What's the best kind of cover crop?
Your first photo above is just lovely!
ReplyDeleteI think trying those seeds as a cover crop is a great idea--lots of cover crops are the best, just depends on what you want to accomplish. Check out this webpage: http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books. Free downloads of some useful publications. The book, _Managing Cover Crops Profitably_ details mustards as cover crops on p.81-89. Very thorough. Also, the book, _Building Soils for Better Crops_ is a great general resource on soil and food plants. Looks like your garden is doing well!
ReplyDeleteYou're awesome, Sarah! Thanks for the resources. I will check them out this weekend.
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